Charles fayer



C. FAYER.

HIGH TENSION RECTIFIEB.

` APPLICATION FILED MAY 28. 19:0.

Patented Oct. 28,1919.

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HIGH TENSION HECTIFIER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28. 1918.

1,320,040. Patented Oct. 28,1919.

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UNiTEn srii'rns PATENT onirica.

CHARLES FAYER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR "JTOv WAPPLER ELECTRIO CO., INC., A CORPORATION 0F NEW YOK.

HIGH-TENSION RECTIF-IER.

Specification of Letters' Patent. Patented Oct. 2S, 1919.

Application led May 28, 1918. Serial No. 237,161.`

To all whom t may Concern Be it known that I, CHARLiis FAYER, a

High-Tensi0n Rectiiiers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. My invention relates to current rectiiers of a kind suitable for use in connection with high tension currents and admitting of gen` eral use, and especially adapted for service in connection with currents adapted for X-ray work.

More particularly stated, I seek to produce a rectifier in which I avoid the use of revolving comiiiutators and thus get rid of the inherent defects thereof, and in which the opening and closing of the high tension circuits is accomplished by reciprocating movements of switch arms, so arranged that the contact mechanism is always visibleforpurposes of inspection, and that undesirable j arcs, coronas, brush discharges and the like yare avoided with comparative ease.

I also seek to give the various parts of the rectifier such form and arrangement that the contact members are as fai' as practicable each entirely isolated, in order that thev insu-y lation may be maintained: as nearly perfect as possible between the stationary contact members and the contact members movable relatively to the stationary contact members,

except at the precise instant of contact.l Furthermore, I seek to give a comparativelyv lengthy stroke to each of`the movable contact members in order that, other factors being equal, its speed may be increased and the abruptness of breaking contact thus increased.

Further than this, I seek to improve thev and means for causing the oil to circulatewithin the tank and pass through the filter,

in such manner as to gather up and depositin the filter all impurities present in the oil, including flakes of carbon formed incidental to the action of the rectifying switch in breaking contact within the oil.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, iii which like letters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1V is a View, partly in section and partly inl side elevation, of my high tension rectifier complete.

Fig.2 is 'a section on the line of Fig.

1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and showing the structure of the filter and parts immediately associated therewith.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line of Fig.

1, looking' in the direction indicated b v the arrows, and showing the rectifying switch.

Fig. f1 is a fragmentary perspective of one of the comiiiutator arms of the rectifying switch.

Fig. 5 is a diagram of the wiring.

I will first describe the wiring and parts immediately associated therewith, including the rectifying switch and its connections.

:A pair of alternating current mains, are shown at 1, 2, a high potential transformer "at 3, and a vertically disposed board at 1, serving to ysupport most of the working parts. The board is Vmounted upon spacing vposts #la carried by a synchronous motor This motor bears the legend Synchronous motor. Connected to it are a pair of wires 6, 7, which are also connected to a hand switch 8, provided with a handle 9. Two wires 10, 11 extend from the switch 8 to thc mains 2, 1.

Twowires 12, 13 extend from the mains 1, 2 to .a hand switch 14, and connected to the latter are two wires 16, 15.

The wire 16 is connected to a variable resistance rheostat 17, and a wire 18 extends from this rheostat to the primary winding 19 of the high potential transformer 3. The wire V15 connects this winding 19 with the hand switch 14.

The transformer 3 is provided with a number of secondary windings 20, 21, 22, 23, which are connected in series with each other ,by Wires 24,4 25. Connected with these-section 30 to a contact button 34. The wire 27 leads to a junction 27a, and from the latter a wire 27h leads to a contact button 35. A wire 36 leads from the junction 27 a to a contact button 37. y

The wire 28 leads to a junction 38, and from this junction a wire 29 leads to a contact button 40. A wire 41 leads from the junction 38 to a contact button 42. The wire 29 is connected with a junction 29a, and from the latter a wire 29b extends to a contact button 43.- From the junction 29a a wire 44 leads to a contact button 45.

The arrangement of the contact buttons 40, 45, 42 and 43 is similar to that of the contact buttons 32, 37, 34 and 35 above dej scribed.

rllhe board 4 isprovided with four rocker heads 45, 46, 47 and 48, each mounted upon a bolt 45, serving as a binding post. Mounted upon these rocker heads are four switch arms 49, 50, 51 and 52. The several switch arms are alike. That is, each has the form shown at 49 in Fig. 4, and consists of three wires disposed in the same plane and parallel to each other, these wires extending through the adjacent rocking comb 54. The switch arm moves back and forth, as indicated by arrows at the bottom of Fig. 4.

Crossing the switch arms are two sliding bars 53 of insulating material, and pivotally mounted upon' these bars, so as to rock rela#Y tively thereto, are four rocking combs 54. The form of one of these rocking combs may be understood from Fig. 4. To accommodate each rocking comb, the rocking bar is slightly cutaway to form a facet 56. The outer or free ends of the sliding bars are of slightly reduced diameter, and extend through stationary bearings 57.

Connected with the pivot pins 45 and 48 are wires 58, 59, which lead to the terminals of an X-ray tube, or some equivalent device,

not shown. The polarity of current in the'y wires 48, 49 is unitary, and is here indicated by plus and minus signs.

A milliampere meter is shown at 61, and may be placed in any convenient location.

A wire 62 extends from the milliam'perel meter to the pivot pin 46, as indicated more particularly in Fig. 5. A wire 63 is connected with the binding post of the pivot pin 47, and with a wire 64 leading to the ground at 65. By a junction 60, a wire 66 1s connected with the wires 63 and 64, and leads to the milliampere meter 61.

The synchronous motor 5 is provided with a revoluble armature shaft 67. Secured v firmly upon this shaft and revoluble therewith is a disk 68, carrying a pin 69. This pin extends into a slot 70 1n a plate 71, thisy plate being mounted between a pair of bearing plates 72, the latter being grooved slightly to form a slideway in which the plate 71 can slide back and forth freely in the direction of its length, the shaft 47 and disk 68 being turned in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. '3.

The parts are so arranged that as the armature shaft 67 rotates the sliding plate 70 moves back and forth, as aforesaid. The movements of the sliding plate 70 cause the sliding bars 53 to reciprocate endwise, and in so doing they cause the switch arms 49, 50, 51, 52 to rock back and forth, and thus at short but definite intervals of time, corresponding to definite phasal conditions of alternating current in the mains l, 2, to open and close various circuits, hereinafter traced.

The parts are so connected, proportioned and arranged that, when the device is in action, each time the switch arms rest momentarily upon any set or group of the contact buttons with which they are capable of engagement, a circuit is completed through all of the switch arms. In any circuit thus completed the current always flows in the same direction through the switch arms, and consequently all discharges through the terminal wires 58, 59 are in one direction. Moreover, the parts are so proportioned and arranged that at the exact instant any circuit is thus completed through the switch arms and contact buttons, the potential wave is at or near its maximum. It follows as a consequence that whenever the switch arms are moved 0H of the contact members, the break in the circuit -is very abrupt, as it necessarily takes place at an instant while the potential is near the peak of the waves.

Thus the switch arms 49, 50, 51 and 52, by making and breaking contact with the contact buttons at predetermined intervals of time corresponding to phasal conditions or stages of the line current, serve to rectify the secondary currents. Further, the switch arms, by the duration of their contact with the buttons, virtually suppress all portions ofthe current in which the potential drops below a desired minimum. In other words, the switch arms pick out the high potential peaks of the waves, and prevent the flow of currents at all other periods of the cycle.

The synchronous motor 5 is mounted upon a pedestal 73, which rests upon the bottom of a tank 75, containing a volume of oil 76. A transformer 3, with its wiring as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 5 or in the usual or any desired manner, is located within the oil tank, as shown in Fig. 1.- The tank is provided with a cover 77.

Located within the tank 75 and mounted upon the pedestal 73 is a hollow casting 78, provided with a discharge orifice 79 having the form of a round hole. The casting 78 is further provided with a pair of guides 79, extending verticall and together composing a slideway. emovably mounted within this slideway is a lter frame 80, provided with a handle 81 whereby itA may be removed. vThe handle 81 extends upwardly through a slot 82, with which the cover 77 is provided. The filter frame carries a back plate 83, provided with perforations 84, `and easily removable. The filter frame also carries an asbestos board 85, which is also removable land serves as a septum or filtering member. The operator, by grasping the handle 81 and removing the filter frame and parts carried thereby, can next remove the back plate 83 and the asbestos board 85 from the filter frame, and can replace these parts or substitute new ones, as desired. This arrangement enables the operator to frequently renew the asbestos board, as the filter is used continuously or from time to time, as desired.

The shaft 67 carries a disk 86, provided with radially disposed slots 87, the plane of each slot being oblique to the plane of the disk. This disk slot occupies the oriice 79, and serves as an impeller for forcing the oil continuously through the orifice, as indicated by arrows in Fig. 1. This causes the oil to be continuously drawn in through the filter, and thus to be cleansed continuously. It also causes the oil to circulate freely within the tank. y

It is absolutely necessary to keep the oil free from contamination, in order that the insulation may be as nearly perfect as possible, and to prevent the formation of arcs whenever the circuit is opened, at or near the peak of the wave by action of the contact mechanism of the rectifying switch. Thus the work of the filter has a direct relation to the thoroughness of the insulation afforded by the oil.

It is a fact that a high tension rectifying switch, having make and break Contact mechanism operated in oil,y causes flakes of carbon to form in the oil. This probably takes place incidental to the. breaking of the circuits. The carbon fiakes thus formed, unless taken care of, become diffused throughout the oil, and of course impair` the insulating qualities thereof. In my device, however, these carbon flakes are carried along bythe circulating oil and deposited in the filter. This not only insures good insulation, but renders uniform the action of the rectifying switch. v

It has been found advisable to submerge all working parts, including the motor, within the oil in order to insure complete insulation and to prevent the working parts from producing noise. ,f/

. The motor and the casting 78 are braced relatively to each other by stay bolts 88, as shown in Fig. 1.

The operation of the filter and parts immediately associated therewith may be readily understood from the foregoing description.

I will now describe the action of the recti- 49, 50, 51, 52 are brought into engagement with the contact buttons 32, 37, 40, v45, as shown. Each time the bars 53 reach the limit of their travel in the" opposite direction, say to the right according to the figure,

the switch arms are brought into engagement with the Contact buttons 34, 35, 42, 43. During each successive instantv midway between the moments when the bar 53 reaches the respective limits of its travel, the switch arms engage the contact buttons 37, 34, 45, 42--the switch arms traveling first in one direction and then in the other.

The engagement between the switch arms and contact buttons always takes place at a moment when the potential of the secondary current wave is at or near a peak.

There is one reversal in the direction of the current, as induced in the secondary windings, after each disengagement of the switch arms from the contact buttons. This result is accomplished by so winding the synchronous motor that the current through it is reversed four times for each revolution of the armature shaft. This armature shaft may be readily given a speed of 1800 revolutions per minute, and with this done the apparatus can be used with ordinary commercial currents of 3600 cycles per minute, that is 60 per second, or any other common frequency.

I will now trace the several circuits.

When the hand switch 8 is closed, a circuit is completed through the synchronous' motor, as follows: Main 1, wire 11, right member of hand switch 8, wire 7, synchronous motor 5., wire 6, left hand member of switch 8, wire 10, main 2 to power house or other source of current supply (not shown) and thence back to main l.

The hand switch 14 being closed, a cir- .cuit through the primary winding of the transformer is completed as follows: main 1, wire 12, right hand member of switch 14,v wire 16, rheostat 17, wire 18, primary winding 19, wire 15, left hand member of switch 14, wire 1-3, main 2 to source of current supply, thence to main 1.

With the sliding bars 53 at the limits of their travel to the left, as shown, the circuit of the wave of high tension current induced in the secondary windings "20, 21, 22, and 23, is as follows: winding 20, wires 26 and 31, contact button 32, switch arm 49, wire 5S, X-ray tube or the like, not shown, wire 59, switch arm 52, contact button 45, wires -44 and 29, winding 23, wire 25, winding 22, wires 2S and 29, contact button 410, switch arm 51, wires 63 and 66 (grounded through wire 64), milliampere meter 61, wire 62, switch arm 50, contact button 37, wires 36 and 27 winding 21, wire 24, -back to winding 20. Thehigh tension current, flowing through the circuit just traced, has a unitary direction indicated, say, by the plus and minus signs shown at the top of Fig. 5.

As the armature shaft 6'7 turns, in the direction indicated in Fig. 3 by the arrow, when the pin 69 passes directly over the armature shaft, the switch arms 49, 50, 51 and 52 momentarily make sliding `engagement with the contact buttons 37, 34, 45, 42, and at the same instant a high tension current wave of reversed polarity induced in the secondary windings 20, 21, 22, 23 is near or at its peak and flows through the switch arms in the same direction as before. The circuit may be traced as follows: winding 20, wire 24, winding 21, wire 27, wire 36, contact button 37, switch arm 49 (now engaging the same'), wire 58, X-ray tube not shown, wire 59, switch arm 52, contact button 42 (now engaged thereby), wire 41, wire 23, winding 22, wire 25, winding 23, wire 29, wire 44, contact button 45, switch arm 51, wires 63 and 66, milliampere meter 61, wire 62, switch 50, contact button 34, wire 33 and wire 26 back to winding 20.

The rotation of the armature shaft 67 being continued still further, the pin 69 reaches its eXtreme position to the right, and f as a result the plate 71 and the bars 53 are carried to the limit of travel to the right, so that the switch arms now momentarily engage the Contact buttons 34, 35, 42 and 43. This contact takes place at or near the moment when the reversed wave of high potential current is at or near its peak.

The new circuit is traced as follows: winding 20, wires 26 and 33, contact button 34, switch arm 49, wire 58, X-ray tube, not shown,.wire 59, switch arm 52, con/tact button 43, wire 29), unction 29a, wire 29, winding 23, wire 25, winding 22, wire 28, wire 41, contact button 42, switch arm 51, wires 63 and 66, milliampere meter 61, wire 62, switch arm 50, contact button 35, wires 27", 27, winding 21, and wire 24 back to winding 20.

' Further rotation of the armature shaft brings the pin 69 to the lowermost point of the circle in which it moves, and causes the plate 71 and sliding rod 53 to assume such position that the switch arms again engage the contact buttonsv 37, 34, 45, 42. This contact takes place at or near the moment when the reversed wave of high potential current is at or near its peak. The circuit thus completed is identical in all respects with the one above traced relative to the engagement of the switch arms with the contact buttons 37, 34, 45, 42.

As the rotation of the motor shaft continues a little further, all movable parts are brought back into their initial positions, and the cycle of operations is thus completed.

It will be noted that as the orbit of the pinv 69 is circular and the motion conferred by it upon the sliding bars 53 is rectilinear, the speed of travel of these .sliding bars is variable, the bars moving at low speed when near the proximate limits of their travel, and moving at higher speeds at other points of their travel. Thus the switch arms travel at varying rates of speed. In order, however, that the duration of contact between the switch arms and contact buttons may be .substantially uniform for the different contact buttons, 1 place the various contact buttons in such positions, relatively to each other and-to the centers of oscillation of the switch arms, that when the speed of a switch arm is slowed down as the switch arm reaches the proximate limit of its travel, the distance in which the arm can travel while engaging a contact button is shortened. ln other words, reduction in speed of the arm is compensatedkby reduction in the length of the path of travel while in contact. y This result is accomplished by so arranging the parts that each switch arm, at the limit of its travel in either direction, can not move over a large portion of the button before beginning its return stroke. 1t moves up on the button a little distance, and thenv recedes.

The currents generated and rectified as above described have comparatively little amperage, as they are essentially made up of the peaks of approximately maximum potential, of the secondary currents generated by the transformer.

I do not limit myself to the precise mechanism shown and described in detail, as variations may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The scope of my invention is commensurate with my claims, which are as follows 1. The combination of a receptacle containing a body of liquid insulating material, a synchronous motor located within said receptacle and submerged in said liquid insulating material, a filter for said liquid insulating material, mechanism driven by said synchronous motor for forcing said liquid insulating material through said filter, a transformer mounted within said receptacle and submerged in said liquid insulating material, a source of alternating current common to said motor and said transformer, for energizing the same, and a f switch, and a source of alternating current common to said synchronous motor and rectifying switch. 4

3. The combination of a receptacle, a body of liquid insulating material contained within said receptacle, a rectifying switch provided with make and break contact mechansm, said rectifying switch being mounted within said receptacle and submerged within said bodyl of insulating material so that incidental to the action of said rectifying switch the liquid insulating material is contaminated by impurities, and filter mechanism associated with said receptacle for removing said impurities from said liquid insulating material.

4. In a device of the character described the combination of a synchronous motor, a transformer provided with a primary winding and a secondary winding, meansl for supplying alternating current to said synchronous motor and said secondary-winding, a plurality of pivotally mounted switch arms,

connections therefrom to said synchronous chronous motor and to said primary winding, a sliding bar connected with ysaid synchronous motor and receiving therefrom a rectilinear motion, switch arms of conducting material connected with said sliding bar and receiving therefrom a rectilinear motion, and contact buttons connected with said secondary winding and so disposed relatively to the path of travel of said switch arms that the alternating currents from said secondary winding are rectified as they iiow from said contact buttons through d said switch arms.

6. In a device of the character described the combination of a synchronous motor, a transformer provided with a `primary winding and a secondary winding, means for supplying alternating current to said synchronous motor and said secondary winding, a plurality of contact buttons connected with said secondary winding, reciprocating members connected with said synchronous motor and moved in synchronism therewith, said reciprocating members being arranged to engage and disengage said contact buttons in'order to rectify the currents generated in said secondary winding, said contact buttons being so distributed relatively to the paths of travel of said reciprocating members as to equalize the duration of con.- tact between the reciprocating Contact members and the contact buttons.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a synchronous motor, a transformer provided with a primary winding and a secondary winding, means for supplying alternating currentto said synchronous motor and said secondary winding, a longitudinal member connected with said synchronous motor and arranged to receive therefrom a thrust motion in the general direction of the length of said longitudinal member, and mechanism connected with said reciprocating member and actuated thereby for rectifying the currents induced in said secondary winding.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination of a synchronous motor, va transformer provided with a primary winding anda secondary winding, means for supplying alternating current to said synchronous motor and said primary winding,

va longitudinal bar connected with said synchronous motor and movable back and forth" in the general direction of the lengthr of said bar, rectifying switch mechanism con- CHARLES FAYER. 

